Magazine

28 Lake, River and Seaside Days Out by Train from London
To be published 4th May 2015
Wild Swimming Walks leads you on 28 adventures into the beautiful countryside of southern England. Discover swimming meadows along the Thames, secret coves of the Sussex seashore and hidden islands of the Essex coast. All the walking routes are accessible by train and each comes with

Wild Swimming is a fantastic way to have a micro-adventure close to home - low on hassle and high in adrenaline and fun. Daniel was speaking at the fundraiser Night of Adventure organised by Alastair Humphreys and the brilliant charity Hope and Homes. He tells us about his own journey into wild swimming, and his favourite places around the UK for

If you think winter swimming is only for the very brave (or the very foolish), Jonathan Buckley tells us why we shouldn’t let some nippy weather get in the way of stripping and dipping…
Last Saturday Tooting Bec Lido hosted the 6th UK Cold Water Swimming Championships. Hardy swimmers embraced this cold water swimming festival – all in water less than

There’s nothing inherently dangerous about wild swimming, but you should always be careful around water with children. Try to chose a river or lake beach with a gently shelving slope, and make sure you go in and check for depth and deeper holes, before you let little ones paddle. There's also more about how to have fun wild swimming with families here. But for our main

We interviewed Michele Tameni to ask him about his passion for swimming and how he came to write the new Wild Swimming Italy guidebook about Italy's secret rivers and lakes.
How did you get into wild swimming?
I grew up in a valley between the mountains of the Alps and every spring to late autumn my favorite pastime was wandering along the paths in the woods, and

With a total of 24 nature reserves the beauty and diversity of the landscapes around Andalucia create the perfect backdrop to some of the best wild swimming on the Iberian peninsula.
Despite the long hot summers Andalucia has countless natural water sources, and is dotted with lakes, rivers, waterfalls and reservoirs. In general the water quality is superb and the

Daniel Start shares his 20 best hidden beaches taken from the new and updated Hidden Beaches book.
www.wildthingspublishing.com/product/hidden-beaches/
SOUTH WEST
Broad Sands, Combe Martin, North Devon
Cave, coves and an island look out
A double fronted cove, turquoise waters and sea caves you can swim to. Scramble to the top of the island look-out

To enjoy outdoor swimming in Britain it's important to be hot before you go in and to be able to warm up quickly after you come out, so why not have a few activities or games up your sleeve to keep everyone moving around?
A simple game of 'it' or 'tag' can be good with a small group but if there are more than four then some people will do less running than others.

Staying Legal and Respecting Others
Unlike other European countries, including Scotland, there is only an explicit legal right to access water in some English and Welsh rivers and lakes. In other places swimming rights are customary and based on longstanding tradition or established use. These places are often found where public rights of way, such as footpaths or

The Environment Agency is preparing for the next round river basin management plans. These are the plans that will help England's waters reach 'good ecological status' as defined by the EU. The river basin management plans are an integral part of the European Union’s Water Framework Directive (WFD) and will need to be finalised by 2015.
As part of this the agency has

Wild swimming - taking a dip in rivers, lakes, waterfalls and streams - is fantastic fun, has great health benefits and thousands of people have been giving it a go during July 2013 - the first serious heatwave since 2006. But as cooling off during the heatwave has led to series of avoidable drownings, people are rightly asking: is wild swimming safe?
Having just

Date: 7h June 2014
Time: 11am-5pm
Location:
Carding Mill Valley Reservoir, Church Stretton, Shropshire.
Dip Shropshire is an exciting new Arts Council England funded project that aims to encourage people to enjoy wild swimming and the natural beauty of Shropshire and link their experiences to a range of creative workshops, including photography, animation,

150 great adventures on the trails and fells of Britain
Jen and Sim Benson, £16.99
Buy the Book from our online shop
Wild Running is the first UK guidebook for those who love to run and who dream of exploring Britain’s spectacular mountains, forests and coastal trails.
Featuring 150 hand-picked runs, chosen for simple navigation and sensational beauty, this

Nothing quite beats camping by the water, taking a swim in the evening light and enjoying a glass of wine as the otter cub gamble under the willows… Then in the morning you can leap out of your tent and leap into the pool, wash away the sleepy dust and feel revitalised for the day.
Here are a few of our favourite river and lake side camping spots. We’d love to hear

Ik Kil is a well known cenote outside Pisté in the Municipality of Tinúm, Yucatán, Mexico, It is located in the northern center of the Yucatán Peninsula and is part of the Ik Kil Archeological Park near Chichen Itza. It is open to the public for swimming and is often included in bus tours. The cenote is open to the sky with the water level about 26 metres (85 ft)

Wilderness is an award-winning festival of music, food, learning, literature and rejuvenation set amidst the LAKES and FORESTS of Oxfordshire’s Cornbury Estate and taking place from 10th – 12th August this year. A celebration of the ARTS and the OUTDOORS it will feature cycling, wild running, fly fishing, wild swimming and horse riding in addition to live music

Escaping a rip is straightforward if you are a strong swimmer and remain calm. People drown from panic, followed by exhaustion, so never fight against the current. Keep an eye on a shore landmark to establish whether you are in a rip. If so, stand or wade if possible. If not, swim out of it at 90 degrees parallel to the beach for about 20m. Once out of the rip, head back

As we travelled around France exploring its waterfalls, rivers and lakes rivers we made a short film of our adventures. See if you can spot our descent into the amazing underwater caverns of the haut Jabron, or plunging into the waterfalls of Sillans-le-Cascade. Know any great film clips of French swimming locations? Let us know in the comments

There are people out there who do unusual things and challenges. For some a life’s goal is to finish the university, get a great job, raise a family or just stay healthy. But for some individuals a ‘normal life’ isn’t enough and they strive to achieve something extraordinary. One could argue that all the big ones have been done: first man to climb the Mount

Britain is bubbling with glorious little river and lake swmiming holes, all of your own. They are there for the finding, but how to go about it?
Ask around: some older folks may remember when a local river or lake was used for swimming in hot summers of the past. Younger people too often know a good place to jump in, go for a plunge or find that ubiquitous blue rope

So you want to meet local wild swimmers and organise a plunge? Many people have asked how they can network with local wild swimmers, to share places, arrange outings and generally organise for fun this summer. We’ve formed seven regional Facebook groups. These provide a discussion forum, as well as local noticeboard for making announcements, arranging events or posting

A scorching hot summer’s day is a great time for swimming, and it can be exciting on rainy or cooler days too...
What if the water is cold?
Water temperatures can vary. Shallow lakes can get up to a blamy 25C in summer but mountain rivers may struggle to reach 20C. Much of the year outdoor waters are around 12C - 17C so the key is to arrive at the swimming hole so

Coming on 27th May, the all-new bumper second edition of the best-selling Wild Swimming photo guide is now fully revised and expanded to include 100 amazing new wild swimming locations, brand new coverage in the South-East and the Midlands, new information for kids and families, new ideas for pubs, campsites, boat trips and weekends, new ratings on safety and access. This

One of Britain’s fastest-growing adventure sports, coasteering is a mixture of swimming and exploring along the edge of the water, including climbing into caves, playing in the swell and jumping into pools.
If you want to try some simple coasteering yourself then the Wild Swimming Coast book will give you plenty of inspiration, but don’t attempt it at rocky and

’The Henleaze Lake Story’ published by Redcliffe Press was launched at the Lake on 23rd June 2007. Written by Derek and Joyce Klemperer, it is an account of Henleaze Lake and Henleaze Swimming Club from the earliest quarrying days (1800s) through to the beginning of the 21st Century. Derek and Joyce tell the story of a magical place, warts and all, and include the

This book is the culmination of years of research on UK policy and practice on wild and outdoor swimming. Jean Perraton has kindly allowed us to reproduce some extracts from her accomplished book here. Click the book jacket below to view it on Amazon. Click here to find excerpts from her introduction, history chapter and section on litigation. Read on for more general

Wild swimming has featured in a number of movies in recent years, including 'Atonement' and 'Pride and Prejudice.' With the advent of online video streaming channels like Youtube, there are plenty of wild swimming videos to inspire you on your next adventure.
Swimming to jazz...
Swimming in the Somerset Brue in April 2007...
The long trek: The swimming

'Wild Swimming: 150 hidden dips' provides grid references, postcodes and direcions for 150 freshwater wild swimming spots in Britain. An additional 80 swims are also included with grid references only. (NB You can see if your favourite area is covered on the coverage map).
There are three methods to find each location.
1) Directions: Follow the step-by-step

1) Identify the postcode of the area of the river where you would like to swim. (You can generate a postcode from an Ordnance Survey grid reference or long lat reference at Nearby.org.uk, or from a street address at Royal Mail. You can find the long lat reference from a location on Google Maps by right clicking and then chosing 'get directions from here'. The two 8

With worries about climate change, obesity and urban youth crime, we need, more than ever, new and exciting ways for our children to engage with the natural world and to explore it in safe and responsible ways. Swimming is the favourite sporting activity for girls and is second only to football for boys. Perhaps opening up our rivers, lakes and waterfalls again

Non-swimmers - Shallow water can deepen suddenly. If you, your children or your friends cannot swim make sure you scout out the extent of the shallows, set clear boundaries and keep constant supervision. Remember that even shallow sections of fast-flowing water can knock you off your feet. Be careful with inflatables, which can create a false sense of security and float

wild-swimming (vb.):
1. Swimming in natural waters such as rivers, lakes and waterfalls. Often associated with picnics and summer holidays.
2. Dipping or plunging in secret or hidden places, sometimes in wilderness areas. Associated with skinny-dipping or naked swimming, often with romantic connotations.
3. Action of swimming wildly such as jumping or diving from

From a secular perspective the health and psychological benefits of dipping in natural waters were also long known. George Bernard Shaw, Benjamin Britten, Charles Darwin and Florence Nightingale were all advocates of regular cold baths to strengthen the mental constitution and physical state. Cold immersion soothes muscle aches, relieves depression and boosts the immune

Rick Pearson has composed this lovely new folk song, inspired by a swim at Durdle Door.
Here he tells us a little about the inspiration..
“Swimming at Durdle Door in November?” scoffed my dad. “You two are
mad.” Perhaps we were. But back in November 2011, that’s exactly where
my friend and I were headed. I’d been given the Wild Swimming book

Our Land is a campaign to promote the rural beauty and countryside activties of Southern England. The website is full of hand-picked things to do and places to stay in some of the most beautiful landscapes on our doorstep in the South of England. Everything listed on Our Land is there because it promises to indulge you with local knowledge of the landscapes' distinctive

The Outdoor Swimming Society was founded in 2007 by Kate Rew, author of Wild Swim (published shortly after Wild Swimming in 2008).
The Outdoor Swimming Society (OSS) builds upon 'Breastrokes', a charity swim that used to be organised in the Lake District. These no longer run but the Great North Swim now offer an exciting and challangeing opportunity for those